


the halloween fic

by jisungtheworld (winwinnie)



Series: almost home (foster family au) [4]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, feat. jeongin becoming a vessel of chaos, foster dad! chan, foster kids! skz, he's so cute that no one does anything about it, more specifically - Freeform, ohoho get ready for some fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winwinnie/pseuds/jisungtheworld
Summary: Halloween. Seven hyper children. One street party, where Chan finally has the chance to prove to the soccer moms on his street that being a single parent doesn't make him any less of a dad.Really, what could possibly go wrong?(aka: chaos and costumes, yang jeongin's evil awakening)
Series: almost home (foster family au) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695763
Comments: 79
Kudos: 240





	1. part one

  
  
(THE WEEK BEFORE HALLOWEEN)

Chan braces himself for chaos.

There's no nicer way to put it. He's stood outside a huge supermarket superstore, seven children all pulling on his clothes to try and get his attention, and they're supposed to be going shopping for Halloween costumes.

If that wasn't chaos enough, he'd discovered right before they were leaving the house that the kids had managed to get their hands on what was _supposed_ to be the sweets to hand out to the trick-or-treaters. He'd walked into Minho's room (and maybe it had been his own fault, because he _had_ wondered why it was awfully quiet), only to find a horrifically large pile of sweet wrappers and several hyper children.

Several hyper children who had, unfortunately, not calmed down over the car trip.

It wasn't like Chan had even particularly wanted to go shopping for Halloween costumes - it was always more fun, in his opinion, to try and make them yourself- but after last year's fiasco he wasn't sure whether he'd have the energy. 

They'd all decided that they were going to be Chan, last year. They'd broken into his bedroom, stealing his shirts and trousers, and then walked around the house pretending to tell each other off and making loud snoring sounds. 

After seeing the state that his clothes had been returned to him in, he hadn't wanted to risk it again. Shopping for Halloween costumes instead had seemed like a great idea at the time.

"Daddy!" Minho cries, thumping his hands against the window. There's a huge grin on his face, still basking in the glory of being allowed to sit in the front seat. It's not ideal - Chan doesn't like how unsafe the passenger seat is - but it's become routine. It was already difficult enough to fit eight of them into a single car, and so compromises have to be made.

It doesn't matter that it's been over nine months since Felix joined their family permanently. Minho still makes a point of rubbing it in the other kid's faces every time they go on a car ride together.

If Chan was a little more impulsive and a little less sensible, he'd by a car with even more back seats just to shut Minho up.

But he's not, and so he doesn't.

"Daddy!" Minho calls again. The fact that he's behind the glass of the car window is making him incredibly easily to ignore. Chan is trying to gather the last few pieces of his sanity, thank you very much. If he's still allowed into the supermarket after the whirlwind of his kids has passed through, it'll be a miracle. "Let us out!"

They _could_ just open the doors by themselves.

It's not like they've never done it before. In fact, they're usually fighting amongst themselves to open the door first, in some sort of strange contest to prove that they're the most grown-up. It's practically a race to be the first person to let themself out of their car seat the quickest. It doesn’t even matter if they're not in one of the two seats by the doors - the kids are more than happy to climb over each other in order to get to the handle first.

They're more than capable to open the car doors without Chan's help, which only makes it even stranger that they seem so reluctant now. Maybe the sugar really has rotten their brains, and they've all forgotten.

Is that too much to hope for?

"Let us _out!_ "

As much as Chan would like to stand outside for a little longer, he's run out of time. Leave the kids alone in the car any longer and he'll end up with a full-scale riot on his hands. He can already make out the faint outline of Hyunjin and Jisung wrestling in the very back seats, and the unfortunate Seungmin who'd been sat next to them is pressing his face up against the window in an attempt to escape.

"I'm coming," Chan says, despite the fact that there's no way they can hear him. He mourns the loss of the peace and quiet and opens the door to the back of the car.

Immediately, two kids come tumbling out. Changbin lands unceremoniously on the ground, limbs entangled with Felix's. They're shrieking so loudly that Chan can't actually work out what had happened. Jeongin is sat behind them, looking suspiciously angelic. He'd moved his hands behind his back as soon as Chan had opened the door, and is now doing a very good impression of someone who hasn't just shoved two of his brothers out of the car.

"Innie," he says, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" Jeongin replies, fluttering his eyelashes.

He doesn't get any further with his scolding, since the seat between them suddenly swings down. Seungmin clambers over it, jumping out of the car and over the tangled limbs of Changbin and Felix, all the way to safety. He's quickly followed by Hyunjin and Jisung, both trying to escape at the same time as continuing their wrestling match.

"Get off!" Hyunjin screeches, hands flailing to try and get a better grip on the seat in front of him, "Daddy, he's pulling my hair!" Hyunjin had been growing his hair out for a while now. He'd refused to have it cut for a while, telling Chan very earnestly that he was going to be 'just like Rapunzel'. For a few months, he'd gone around with some very questionable variations in length, and had only agreed to compromise when Chan had pointed out that he'd only be getting a trim. It now hung nicely around his chin, and the six-year-old was incredibly proud of it.

However, the length also meant it was _very_ easy to pull.

Jisung screams as well, but it's nothing intelligible. There's no way he can actually know what direction he's facing after wresting with Hyunjin for so long, and Chan's pretty sure that the only reason he's getting in front of Hyunjin is because he keeps pushing the older boy backwards.

"Not me," Jeongin says, as if his brothers aren't fighting to the death right in front of him, "They fell all by themselves."

It doesn't help that Felix and Changbin have picked themselves up from the floor and joined Seungmin in cheering the fight on. Even Minho hangs over the back of the seat, occasionally calling out scores like he's a sports commentator.

"I was looking out of the window," Jeongin says, "I didn't even know that they'd fallen!"

The same stress headache that Chan had been worrying about is already starting to pull at his temples. He takes a step back, pulling the door open as far as it can go, and sighs. "Come on, boys. The faster you stop fighting, the more time you'll have to pick costumes. Minho - you too, get out of the car. And you, Innie, come on."

Jisung lets go of Hyunjin's hair at Chan's words. He lies spread-eagle on the back of the chair that's been pushed down, and simply lets Hyunjin climb over him. Jeongin is quick to follow too, although his 'innocent' smile hasn't left his face.

"Sungie," Chan says, "Come on."

Minho opens the door next to them and hops out, as if he hasn't just caused complete chaos. The ground is slightly wet - it's been raining almost non-stop for the last few days, and only just seemed to let up today - but Minho doesn't seem to care when he lands dangerously close to the edge of a puddle. "Let me go and get the trolley?"

Normally, Chan would say no. It causes too much squabbling about who gets to put the coin into the slot, and they always forget whose 'turn' it was last time.

But today isn't a normal day, and Chan can't see how this could work out any worse than what's already happened. If he lets Minho go off - and maybe if Changbin and Hyunjin go with him - that's one less job. The trollies are only a few metres away, and so Chan would be able to keep an eye on them the whole time. A short walk might even give them a chance to calm down a little.

"Fine," he says, fishing the coin out of his pocket and passing it over. Minho grins, pumping his hand down in celebration. "But take Changbin and Hyunjin with you."

Hyunjin whoops in delight at that, and even Changbin can't help the grin that splits his face in two. Minho looks decidedly less enthusiastic, but doesn't complain. He lets Hyunjin take his hand, and the three of them start to make their way over to the plastic shelter

Surprisingly, the absence of three children immediately makes Chan feel a little calmer. He can finally work out exactly what's happening, and he's not too overwhelmed to accidentally ignore let any of the kids get away with doing something stupid. Felix has picked himself up from the ground, and is now complaining to Seungmin about how damp his coat has become. Jeongin has migrated over to the strip of grass in front of the car, and is now crouching down, watching a snail make its way across the dirt.

Jisung still hasn't moved from where he's splayed across the seat. He blinks up at the roof of the car, wriggling his fingers every so often.

"Sungie," Chan repeats, "Can you get out of the car for me?"

Jisung grins. He stretches his hands upwards, not even bothering to direct them towards Chan. He's got to know the direction he's facing by now - he can hear Chan's voice - so he's just refusing to get up. "Carry me!"

"I can't carry you," Chan says. Jisung's getting too big to be held up for long periods of time, although that doesn't stop the six-year-old most of the time. In other situations, Chan would hold him for a little while, just until Jisung inevitably got bored. It's just that he can't imagine that solution working today, not when he's got a shopping cart to push and six other hyper children to keep an eye on. "However-"

He scoops his hands under Jisung's arms, pulling him across the seat and them lifting him cleanly out of the car. Once he's been set onto the ground, Chan takes the opportunity to close the car door.

How have they been here for ten minutes already? They haven't even left the car park, and yet Chan still feels like they've been shopping for hours.

"You can ride in the trolley if you'd like," he tells Jisung. One less kid running around is one less kid that he has to worry about. And besides, Jisung has never been particularly great in crowded places like supermarkets. The displays of products are just _asking_ to be walked into, in Chan's opinion. Especially so near to a holiday - when there are bound to be kids running around and people not watching where they're walking - it's a recipe for disaster.

Jisung doesn't mind being put in the trolley. He's just as anxious that he'll accidentally run into someone as Chan is. Besides, being able to ride in the cart is fun. And he doesn't usually end up being alone, either.

Once Jisung has nodded his confirmation of trolley-riding, Chan can move onto the next kid. Minho and the others are just untangling the chain of the trolley, so he has a few moments to sort something else out.

"Seungmin? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Seungmin looks up from where he'd been inspecting Felix's coat. He glances over to Chan, eyes big and suspicious, but comes over without making a fuss. Felix takes the chance to grab Jisung's hand, and together they join in with poking the poor snail with sticks. "Did I do somethin'? It was Jeongin that pushed Lix and Binnie, if you were gonna ask that."

Chan doesn't have the heart to tell him that Jeongin's 'innocent' face hadn't been fooling anyone. Instead, he nods. "Thank you for telling me, Minnie, but that wasn't what I was going to ask."

Seungmin frowns. "Oh. Then what is it?"

"Nothing bad," Chan makes sure to reassure him, "I just wanted to ask you how you were feeling today. It's going to be loud in the supermarket. Do you remember when we were here before?"

The last time Seungmin had come to the supermarket with Chan, the sound system had malfunctioned, letting out such a horrible high-pitched noise that even Chan had cringed at. Seungmin, who was already on edge from the sound of music blaring out from speaker and the sheer amount of people around him, hadn't taken much to become overwhelmed.

Chan wasn't about to make that mistake again. "I brought your ear defenders," he says, pulling them out of his bag and showing them to Seungmin. "Just in case. Do you need to put them on now?"

He already knows that, if at any point it all becomes too much, he can tell Chan immediately. They've had quite a few close-calls avoided because Chan had dropped everything to get Seungmin into a safer space as soon as possible. If he doesn't want to put on the ear defenders now but wants them later, he knows he just has to ask.

But to Chan's surprise, Seungmin is already nodding. He reaches out, pressing his thumbs over the smooth plastic material, and slips them onto his head. Chan brushes a few stray hairs out of the way. "Good?"

Seungmin nods again. "Good," he confirms. "Can I sit in the trolley as well?"

Chan raises his eyebrows in surprise. He was going to try and persuade Jeongin to sit in the cart with Jisung, but if Seungmin is asking than Chan can't see a reason why not. Besides, maybe it would be best to allow Innie to run some of his energy off. He's been pushing the boundaries of how mischievous he's allowed to be, lately. "Yeah, that's fine. Are you okay with me lifting you up, then?"

The beam he gets in return is as much of an answer as he needs.

Soon enough, the familiar rattle of the trolley wheels against the tarmac gets louder. Minho, Changbin and Hyunjin have finally managed to disentangle the chains from each other, and push the cart back over to where Chan and the other kids are standing. It's one of the larger sizes, just like they usually get, with more than enough space for two kids to sit inside.

"Pick me up now," Seungmin says, and Chan complies. Minho holds the cart steady without him even needing to ask, and soon Seungmin has been put safely down again. Knowing Minnie, it won't last long. He'll get too excited, frustrated that Chan can't take him where he wants to go immediately, and then ask to be put down again. It's not a solution that will last forever, but hopefully it'll help him adjust to the supermarket without getting overwhelmed.

Changbin and Hyunjin aren't being so helpful. They've wandered over to the snail, only for Hyunjin to shriek when Innie holds it up to his face. Felix cackles evilly as he watches from a safe distance, even though Chan's sure he'd react in exactly the same way.

Changbin frowns. "That's not very nice, Innie," he says. It puts a smile on Chan's face, knowing that the kids look out for each other like that. "Put the snail back down, it's probably scared from lookin' at Jinnie's face."

Or not, apparently.

The kids dissolve into a mess of shrieking laughter, while Hyunjin chases Changbin across the little stretch of grass. They've getting awfully close to the other parked cars, and so Chan decides that it's time to put an end to their fun. If they want to leave the supermarket while it's still light out, they need to get a move on.

"Boys!" He calls, "Come on! We're going!"

There's a surprisingly small amount of resistance, probably something to do with the fact they're actually interested in going into the supermarket. Chan's never seen them this excited to go shopping before. He almost doesn't want to remind them that they're supposed to be food shopping as well.

Jisung reaches Chan's legs, lifting his arms up to be put into the trolley with Seungmin. This time Minho and Changbin hold the cart steady. It still ends up shifting slightly, and there's a close call where Jisung's shoe gets dangerously close to Seungmin's fingers, but it all works out in the end. Chan puts his bag into the cart with them, and off they go.

While Chan pushes the trolley along, the rest of the kids line up behind him like ducklings. Felix is stood at the front, speaking in rapid-fire English that certainly gets their little family a few strange looks. Chan nods along, replying every so often, but they're not having a conversation as-per-say. Felix is simply talking _at_ him, in the way kids tend to. It's getting his language skills working, and definitely makes him feel like he's got the attention solely on him, so Chan can't complain.

Jeongin is right behind him, almost tripping up over Felix's feet in an effort to interject with the few English words he knows. Felix is doing a very good job at ignoring him, although that doesn't seem to have offput Jeongin in the slightest.

Behind, Changbin and Hyunjin and trying to fix Kkami's princess dress. One of her arms has come out of the sleeves, and the fact that both children are walking at the same time as trying to fit it back in isn't really helping. They're so caught up in their mission that they don't realise the trolley has stopped at points, and almost walk into the others

Minho is right at the back. He seems quite happy to be there, chatting animatedly to Seungmin, who's just before him. It seems like Seungmin had been getting distracted by the lights and the sounds of the supermarket, and so Minho had tagged on to make sure he didn't get separated by accident. It's quite sweet, really. Chan has to try and hide his proud smile.

In this formation, they manage to make it all the way to the front doors of the supermarket.

There are a few people milling about, someone trying to sell flowers in the entrance to the shop, someone just leaving with a cart full of items in bright plastic bags. _"That's not very good for the environment,"_ Felix says loudly when he sees it, and Chan's never been gladder that most people don't speak English that well.

Chan shoots the person a polite smile, just in case, and then they're stepping into the supermarket itself.

Already, he can see how badly this could go wrong.

He'd been expecting the store to be decorated slightly - in the spirit of Halloween and all that, but this was another level altogether. There are black bats hanging from the ceiling, joined by sparkly orange tinsel above every single aisle of shelves. He can faintly hear Halloween-themed music being played over the noise of the shop.

A man dressed as a werewolf waves at them as they enter. He holds out a pumpkin, gesturing behind him to a carving station that's been set up. There are already a few kids there, as well as a couple of moms who pretty much do a double take when they see how many children Chan has following behind him.

Immediately, the kids start murmuring in excitement. Felix bounces up and down, and although Chan can't see what the others are doing behind him, he has no doubt that it's something similar.

It isn't what they came here to do, but what's the harm in having a little fun? Some time to unleash their creative energy would probably be good. It might even let them calm down a little, running through all that excess sugar high and making it _so_ much easier when the time finally came to buy costumes. He almost, almost gives in.

And then the werewolf-man steps slightly out of the way, revealing the price for one half-hour pumpkin carving session, and - _nope, no thank you._

"Maybe later," he says, hoping that his voice doesn't sound too strained. It's not like they're low on money or anything, but Chan's always been careful with not spending excessive amounts. It's just carving, for god's sake! Who knew scooping out pumpkin guts for half an hour would be that expensive?

The kids let out a chorus of groans. "You never let us do _anything!"_ Hyunjin cries.

"You said I couldn't jump off the roof onto a trampoline," Minho says, frowning.

"We don't _have_ a trampoline," Chan replies. "You'd break your legs, and then you wouldn't be able to dance for months."  
  
"You didn't let us parachute with plastic bags," Hyunjin says, while Felix nods enthusiastically next to him. "We had knee-pads and everything!"

"The plastic bags had holes in, Jinnie," Chan gently reminds them. "They wouldn't have done anything to slow your fall."

"You said I couldn't shave off Jisung's hair, even though he said I could do it!" Changbin pipes up, looking very disapprovingly. They really must be ganging up on him if even Changbin's getting involved.

"Binnie," Chan says, "You got Jisung to sign a piece of paper to say that he'd let you shave his head. A piece of paper _that_ _he can't read._ "

"He said he would let me do it!"

"Yeah!" Jisung joins in, swivelling around in the trolley and crossing his arms, "He asked me and everythin'."

Okay, Chan had not known that part of the story. He'd not really sure whether that makes it better or worse. "That doesn't change anything. I'm still not letting you shave Jisung's head. He'll... get cold."  
  
Seungmin opens his mouth, ready to say something else 'fun' and 'not completely stupid and dangerous' that they'd been stopped from doing, but Chan gets there first. "We can do pumpkin carving at home," he says, " _Later._ I thought you wanted to pick out costumes first?"

A few of the kids open their mouth to protest, but their attention has already been shifted. When Chan starts to push the trolley away from the stand (shooting another apologetic look at the man - he seems to be doing that a lot, lately), they follow after him. 

He's given up on trying to go food shopping beforehand. It had been an idea to fanciful for reality, and Chan should have known that they'd just find a way to get distracted and end up in trouble. Especially since he's had to bribe them away from the pumpkin-carving stand, it's just not worth denying them from the one reason that they actually want to be here for. 

They make their way past the maze of aisles. Each one seems to have its own set of challenges to get past. To a bunch of sugar-high children, they must seem like treasure troves of wonder, with Chan has the grumpy old man trying to stop them from having any fun at all.

Except, their version of fun is... interesting, to say the least.

Jeongin tries to sneak some chocolate bars into the trolley at one point, and Chan almost doesn't notice in time. When they weave their way through the bakery aisles, he physically has to drag Hyunjin away from the princess-themed birthday cakes. He finds Changbin, Minho and Seungmin pressed up against heaters, in the process of stripping off their coats and jackets.

Eventually, however, they make it.

The costume aisle.


	2. part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every time i use the word 'trolley' i lose five years off my lifespan

The costume aisle is decorated the same way as the rest of the store - with those same pumpkin tinsel and skeletons hanging against the shelves - but still seems somehow _more_ garish. Maybe it's because of the fake cobwebs stuck to the price tags (making it very difficult to actually work out how much something costs, Chan thinks) or the lawn decorations that make noises whenever someone stands too close.

Luckily, the kids seem to be in awe of the aisle.

In front of him, Changbin has grabbed Jisung's hand. He's pulling the six-year-old dangerously far out of the cart, and it takes a few moments for Chan to realise that he's brushing Jisung's fingers against the spider’s webs.

Minho clutches onto Chan's sleeve, making it a lot more difficult to push the trolley. "Look," he whispers, as if he's afraid that if he speaks too loudly it'll all disappear, "Look, Daddy!"

"It’s scary!" Felix exclaims, trying to get Chan's attention from his other side, "What is it called? _The bo- the skeleton. Wha's it called?"_

 _"It's-"_ Chan racks his brain for an answer. He's been speaking a lot more English for Felix's sake, just in general. Even the kids are picking up phrases, with most of them slowly becoming conversational. But it doesn't mean that it's easy to suddenly translate words, especially ones that don't often come up in day to day language. " _It's a_ 'skeleton'."

"Skellington," Felix repeats to himself.

Chan doesn't get the chance to correct him, as Seungmin and Jeongin have already taken it upon themselves to start pulling the shopping cart over to the rack of costumes. Changbin has to let Jisung's hands go, and the trolley is yanked completely out of Chan's hands.

It's purely luck that Jisung had been holding onto the side, otherwise he might have fallen over. Hyunjin quickly joins in with the tugging - taking Chan's place at the handle of the cart. It leaves all four of the kids whooping in delight as they start to hurtle down the aisle.

Yeah, not on Chan's watch.

Luckily, the aisle is mostly empty, not that that fact even registers in Chan's mind before he takes off sprinting behind them. Minho had still been holding onto his sleeve, and is pulled a good few feet forward before he eventually lets go. Changbin is watching the situation go down with wide eyes, and Felix doesn't seem to be paying the slightest bit off attention - too busy ballroom dancing with the skeleton from before.

None of that bothers him. In fact, none of it even makes it into his thoughts. The only thing on his mind right now is _stopping that cart._

Luckily for him, six-year-olds aren't known for their amazing sense of direction. With both Jeongin and Seungmin pulling in slightly different directions, and since Hyunjin seems to be more 'dragged along' than actually pushing, they're not moving as fast as they could have been. It gives Chan more than enough time to leap over a pumpkin in the aisle and grab hold of the trolley's handlebar.

Hyunjin looks up when he sees Chan's hands landing next to his. It's like he's oblivious to the look of absolute horror on his face, as the only acknowledgement Chan receives is a dopey grin.

"Move!" Seungmin says, digging his heels into the ground and leaning so far forwards that he's almost at a 45° angle to the floor. "We're- almost- there-!"

Jeongin grunts with efforts, turning around so he's facing the trolley and Chan. Neither of the boys seem to have realised that he's holding them back yet. Either that, or they genuinely don't see anything wrong with what they've just done.

Now that Hyunjin's not pushing the wheels in every-which-way, they do have a more direct path. Despite Chan's best efforts to stop the shopping cart in its tracks, they've moving at an agonisingly slow speed. Beside them, Felix and Minho walk past, Changbin and Hyunjin following just behind.

"Seungmin," Chan says, as stern as he can possibly be without properly telling the kids off, "Jeongin." His mental list of behaviour he needs to discuss when they get home is getting concerningly long. Hopefully, most of it is down to the candy they'd eaten. There's no that they'd act like this normally.

He can't tell them off right here and now, if he wants this shopping trip to be successful. Even as kind as he is with his punishments, he doesn't want to risk either of the boys getting upset. That would be sure to set off a chain reaction of frustration, spreading from child to child with no chance of Chan trying to separate them.

Seungmin finally turns around, frowning. "Daddy," he says, "You're slowing the trolley down. Move."

Jeongin looks up, nodding along to ever word that Seungmin says. Jisung is stuck between the two boys at the front of the cart and Chan, and doesn't seem to be enjoying his position. He hasn't let go of the metal side of the trolley yet. Chan can imagine that the sudden movement from earlier had shocked him, and he's not now entirely certain that it won't happen again.

Chan sighs. "We're here," he says, "Look." Sure enough, Jeongin and Seungmin were so absorbed in the speed of the trolley that they hadn't actually been paying attention to where they were trying to go. The costume section of the aisle is now right beside them.

"Oh!" Jeongin gasps out loud when he sees that they've reached their destination, immediately letting go of the cart. Just as Chan had hoped. "We're here! Look at the costumes!"

Seungmin is quick to follow. They join the crowd of Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin and Felix already cooing over the various sparkly outfits, mischief immediately forgotten. Chan sighs again. He places a hand over Jisung's, moving the trolley slightly further away from the aisle, minimising the chance of any of the kids accidentally backing into it.

"It's okay now," he says, when Jisung still doesn't let go of the side. “Seungmin and Jeongin were pulling the cart over to the Halloween costumes. They didn't realise that you wouldn't be expecting that."

Jisung pouts. His head is dropped again, and Chan uses his space hand to hook his fingers under his chin. It doesn't do much. "I didn't know where we were goin'. I didn't like it, Daddy."

"I know, baby." Chan rubs his thumb over Jisung's knuckles, pulling the six-year-old closer to his body. "I'll make them apologise when we get back home. They'll know that they shouldn't do it again, okay?"

"I didn't like it." Jisung repeats, voice small.

It hurts Chan that there's so little he can do. Especially here, right now, when he's already got six other children he should be watching over. Jisung deserves his undivided attention, and yet Chan can't even give him that. Instead, he has to settle for being distracted.

"It won't happen again," Chan promises. "How about we go and choose a Halloween costume for you, hmm? You can get out of the cart and feel them yourself, if you'd like, or stay in the cart and I'll describe them to you."

"I'll help!" says another voice. Minho has appeared beside Chan, already holding a swathe of dark fabric in his arms. "I've already chosen what I'm going to be. I want to help Sungie decide now!"

Chan peers at the fabric. He can't quite work out what it is, and he's surprised that Minho took such a short amount of time to choose. The kids had been debating what they were going to dress-up as for the entire duration of the car journey, and still hadn't ended up making a single decision. But by the way Minho is pulling the costume to his chest, his selection looks pretty final.

Next to him, Jisung must be thinking along the same lines. Curiously, he finally lets go of the cart in order to reach towards Minho's fabric, "What is it?"

Minho grins. He holds the fabric up, letting it unroll and revealing a black furry suit with a white patch in the middle. He's also holding a headband in his hand, which had been previously hidden by the rest of the costume. As he passes it over for Jisung to feel, Chan spots a fluffy tail attached to the back of the suit.

"I'm gonna be a cat! Minho says, proudly. "I'm gonna borrow the book wagon and decorate it so it looks like a cat bed, and then I'm gonna put Soonie, Doongie and Dori inside"

Jisung nods along, appreciatively. "That's very smart," he tells Minho, "You can put your sweets in there as well."

"Exactly!" Minho cackles, rubbing his hands together. Chan is slightly taken aback by the scheming look on his face. "I'm going to get so many sweets that the wagon is going to be full up. And then I'm going to eat them aaall." He looks up at Chan, frowning as if realising that he probably shouldn't be proclaiming his plan in front of the one person who's going to stop him. "Except for the liquorice ones. You can have those, Daddy. My teacher at school said that all old people like liquorice, and you're old so you can have them."

Great. He doesn't even care that Chan's just overheard his 'master plan'. He's just going to insult Chan and be done with it.

"Thank you," Chan says, dryly. "I thought you were going to help Jisung."

"Oh yeah." Minho turns, sweets forgotten. "Sungie, what'd you wanna be? There's a lot of costumes here, so it might be a really difficult decision to make. I can help you, if you'd like. I think we should be cats together" He pauses, waiting for Jisung to take all of that information in, and then - "So you're going to be a cat, right?"

"Minho, I'm sure Jisung's perfectly capable of deciding by himself." Chan says, putting a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. This is supposed to be down to Jisung. It's not fair if he's been influenced by Minho.

Minho pouts, but doesn't argue back. He looks like he's almost vibrating in place, and every time Sungie 'umm's or 'ah's, he looks like he's going to suggest being a cat again. It's clearly taking a lot of his willpower to stop himself from taking control, and Chan's immensely proud of him for that. He knows how hard it is to be a kid, when you think you've got the best idea ever and yet no one else seems to want to play along.

"How about we narrow it down for you, hmm?" Chan eventually asks. "How about you go as an animal? You could match Minho, that way, and I know that you love National Geographic."

That seems to get Jisung's attention. He'd been half-way through an uncertain hum when Chan had posed the question, and had immediately cut the sound off. He nods, grinning. "Yes! National Geographic is the best programme! I wanna be an animal!"

"Really," Chan says, as if wasn't the one to pose the question in the first place. "Minho, what animal costumes are there?"

Minho frowns. Instead of going to check what costumes there are, like what would be the sensible thing to do, he's trying to remember them. "Uh," he says, "There's the cat, a dog, a different dog - one of them was a Labrador and the other was a Husky, by the way - a tiger, a bear... There are also some spooky ones because it's Halloween, and they're a spider, a bat-"

"Yes!"

Jisung's voice is loud and unexpected, and it almost makes Chan jump out of his skin. He hadn't been anticipating him to make a decision that easily. "Oh? Which one do you like the sound of?"

"I wanna be a bat!" Jisung says. He stretches out his arms, squeezing his eyes shut and pretending to fly around in the cart. It's not very effective since he's sat down, but it's accurate enough that Chan still gets the picture.

"A bat? Why-"

"Because they can't see, just like Sungie." Minho says, rolling his eyes as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "They use ec- echolocation to get around, Daddy. It's a high-pitched noise that hits things in their way and then bounces back to them. So they don't crash into anything when they're flying around."

"Just like dolphins," Jisung nods along, "National Geographic knows everything. I'm going to work for National Geographic and learn every single fact about animals, when I'm older."

"Wow," Chan says. He's not just saying it to encourage them, he genuinely is impressed. "That's so cool! Do you any other facts about bats?"

"I know all about bats!" Jisung says, beaming at being given a chance to show off his knowledge. 

While they're talking, Minho peels himself away from the conversation, presumably to go grab Jisung's costume. There hasn't been the sound of anyone screaming, so Chan hopes that that means he can keep going with this conversation. The other children are guaranteed to take a while to choose. Once he's done with Sungie, he can start focusing on them. One kid at a time, that's the only way that he'll get out of the supermarket with his sanity still intact.

"They're nocturnal, Daddy, which means that they sleep in the day and wake up at night. And there are types of bats called vampire bats, which drink blood! Like real-life vampires! They hang upside-down in caves as well, and then they all fly out like-" He screws up his face and makes a high-pitched sound, which Chan guesses is his impersonation of a bat.

"You know so much, Sungie." Chan says, "National Geographic would _love_ to work with you."

Jisung's grin grows impossibly wider. He's just about to reply, but then Minho returns from the getting the costume. Except... his arms have got two costumes in them, and Felix clutching his arm, pouting.

"Sungie!" He says, letting go of Minho to lean dramatically onto the side of the trolley, "I thought we were going to go snap!"

 _Snap?_ Chan has only just managed to get Jisung to choose a costume. If Felix comes over here and starts to give him more options all over again, he's genuinely going to lose his mind. But, then again, why would Minho be carrying two costumes? He's already placed his own in the cart, so who are they for?

He only just realises what 'snap' means when Jisung replies.

"Lixie! I'm sorry, I forgot. We can still be snap if you want, we can be bats together!"

Felix frowns. "I don't wanna be a bat. I thought- I thought we were gonna-" he pauses to lunge forward, thrusting his arm out in front of him and pretending to sword-fight an invisible enemy.

"Pirates?" Chan guesses, and Felix nods his head sadly.

"We can't be bats _and_ pirates at the same time. We'll never snap, and it's gonna be horrible and Halloweened is gonna be ruined!"

" _Ruined,_ " Jisung echoes. His eyes have widened and he's clutching the cart again, practically shaking in fear. "We're gonna be got by the ghosties, Lix!"

"They're going to _get us_!" Felix wails. They're slowly getting louder and louder. An old man looks to turn into the aisle that they're standing in, sees the kids, and promptly turns right back around. 

Chan decides to intervene. "Boys," he says, "You can still be pirates. It's not too late to put the costumes back onto the shelf. Minho, you don't mind grabbing two pirate costumes, do you-"

"No!" Jisung yells, "I wanna be a bat! I wanna be a bat and a pirate. I wanna be a bat-pirate!"

"I wanna be a bat-pirate!" Felix joins in as well, "I wanna be a fairy as well! I wanna be a bat-pirate-fairy!"

"Do you want to be cats?" Minho asks eagerly, eyes shining with anticipation. 

"Yeah!" Jisung says, crossing his arms in anger. Felix nods his head with incredible enthusiasm, hair flopping into his face. His eyes are tinged with red, like he's about to burst into tears from not being allowed to dress up as a... bat-pirate-fairy-kitten.

Chan's disaster-prevention mode immediately kicks in. He takes a step back, putting his hand on Felix's head and running his fingers through his hair to calm him down. "Woah, hey, hey, no one said you can't be all of those things at once. There's no need to get upset, baby."

"You said we cou-could only have o-one each," Felix sniffles, wiping his eyes. Already, the pink in his cheeks is beginning to fade. _"I don't wanna choose."_

"You can only have one costume from the supermarket," Chan corrects, brushing Felix's hair out of his eyes and looking at him properly. “We have plenty of fancy-dress costumes at home. If you get the bat costumes from here, we can make our own costume together! We've got fairy wings, I'm sure there are some cat ears somewhere, and there are pirate swords left over from Innie's third birthday. Don't panic, baby."

"Really?" Jisung has stood up again, and- really, there isn't room in trolley for him to do that safely. Chan uses his spare hand to gently push his head down.

"Yes, baby. I wouldn't make these things up, would I. Once we get home, we can make your super-special Halloween costumes together."

Jisung smiles weakly, and Felix has mostly calmed down by now. Seeing an opportunity, Chan takes it by both hands. "Now," he says, "Can you boys discuss exactly what you're going to be together? I'm going to go and help the others choose their costumes, and I'm _sure_ that I can leave you big boys here alone."

Neither Jisung nor Felix seem to have any objections to that. They've cheered up incredibly quickly, and Minho - who'd been backing away awkwardly when the two six-year-olds had started to cry - is even coming back to join the conversation again. Chan smiles, and finally turns away to pay some attention to the other kids.

Standing by the aisle, Changbin, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin all seem to be deep in discussion. They don't even notice Chan approaching until he's right behind them.

"It's stupid," Seungmin says, "You'll look stupid. You can't wear it." He's standing slightly further away from the clothes rack than the others, folding his arms tight into his chest and looking condescendingly down at Jeongin.

Seungmin already has his costume. It's the same one that he'd worn last year, and the same one that he's worn the year before that - a dinosaur onesie with foam scales glued onto the back and a fabric hood that could be pulled over his head. Despite it being too small, Seungmin refused to wear anything else.

Chan could understand why. It had taken them ages to find a onesie that wasn't too rough on Minnie's skin, and that was even _after_ Chan had taken extra precautions like removing all labels and sewing over the back of the zip with cotton. Chan's mom had offered to make the hood especially, as Seungmin had boldly proclaimed that the costume had to be as accurate as possible and refused to wear anything that wasn't up to his standards. 

The costume - thankfully, seeing how long as it had taken to make - was declared to be perfect. Chan wouldn't be surprised if Seungmin is still insisting that he wears it in five years’ time. 

"I don't care!" Jeongin replies, clutching what Chan assumes is the costume causing the argument closer to his chest. "It's my costume, and I wanna wear it! I don't care what you think!"

"That's not fair!" Seungmin cries, " _I_ don't want to you wear it, and so you shouldn't!"

"It's my bear! I hate you; I hate you, I-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Chan takes a step forward, coming between the two boys. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders, and shakes his head slightly at Changbin and Hyunjin. They thankfully get the signal and back away. Much like Seungmin, Hyunjin had also decided that he didn't want to get a new costume this year. He'd got a lot of princess dresses already, so Chan couldn't be happier about that decision. If he was satisfied with some pretty fabric and a sparky crown, there wasn't any point persuading him that he needed something new.

Changbin's arms are still empty, though. Chan had been hoping that he'd have decided in the time it had taken to console Jisung and Felix, but evidently not. If Hyunjin's helping, they might eventually find something by themselves, but it's looking likely that Chan will have to help him decide as well. 

After he's dealt with Seungmin and Jeongin first, however.

"Boys," he starts, "What are you arguing about? Let's try and work this out peacefully. There's no need to get annoyed with each other."

Jeongin crosses his arms, mirroring Seungmin, and sticks his tongue out. "I decided on my Halloween costume."

"That's great, Innie," Chan says, not sure how that could be the cause of what had seemed to be rapidly becoming a full-scale fight. "What's the problem, then?"

"And _he_ ," Jeongin continues, glaring at Seungmin, "Says I'm not allowed to wear it! Daddy, tell him he's bein' stupid, and mean, and-"

"It's hideous!" Seungmin cries out in response, "I don't want him to wear it!"

Chan frowns, trying to stop himself from sighing out loud. It's certainly not one of the strangest things his kids have had arguments about, but it's close. What could possibly be so bad about this costume that Seungmin doesn't want Jeongin to wear it? He gestures for Jeongin to hand it over, so he can take a proper look and work out exactly what's going on here.

Jeongin passes it over without a fuss, thankfully. The fabric is strange, sort of elasticated. Chan only realises that it's a morphsuit when he holds it up and lets the costume unravel, and then-

Ah.

The morphsuit is terrifying, for lack of a better word. It's supposed to be a bear, but has actually ended up as a full-body covering- with human fingers and toes instead of bear paws. The face looks like it partially extends down what would be Jeongin's neck, strangely distorted. To make matters worse, the colour of the suit isn't even brown, black, or any other bear-related colour. It's a strange sort of slimy green, just brown enough to look like something terrible has happened.

Chan tries not to grimace. "Wow, Innie. It's certainly... interesting." He turns to Seungmin folding the costume back up as quickly as he can. "What's your side of the story, Minnie? I can understand if you find it a little scary, but I'm sure we can come to a compromise."

He doesn't blame him for protesting, really. Chan's almost certain he'll be seeing the morphsuit later in his nightmares.

But Seungmin only frowns, now focussing his disdain on Chan. "Don't be silly, Daddy," he says, "It's not scary, it's the wrong colour."

 _That's_ what they're fighting about? 

Neither of his kids are scared by the quite frankly terrifying morphsuit, they're just arguing about the fact that it's not the right shade of brown? 

Of course.

Somehow, Chan isn't even surprised at this point. "Okay," he says, trying to keep his voice calm, "That's a good point. But it's not your costume, Minnie. If Jeongin wants to wear a green bear morphsuit, that's his own choice. Imagine if he told you that he didn't want you to wear your dinosaur onesie."

"My dinosaur costume is exactly the right colour," Seungmin says primly, but Chan can tell that he's lost most of his fight. He casts one last look at the suit, before sighing. "It's wrong," he says eventually, "But... if- if Innie really, really wants to be wrong, I shouldn't correct him." 

Chan beams. "Exactly. Thank you, Minnie, that was a very grown-up decision to make."

Seungmin smiles right back at him, and then bounds over to Jeongin again, as if they hadn't just had an argument. Jeongin is used to it at this point, and since they've both chosen their costumes by now, they drift back over to where the others are waiting by the trolley. 

That just leaves Changbin.

Him and Hyunjin are right on the other side of the rack, a good few metres away from where Chan is currently standing. In the time it takes for him to approach them, he gets a good look at their faces. 

Hyunjin is frowning. He keeps pointing to the rails of clothes, pulling out the sleeve of a costume every so often and displaying it to Changbin. However, every costume that he shows gets the same response. Changbin shaking his head. They must have been down this row already, considering the speed that they're going at and how long they've been in the aisle, but it doesn't look like Changbin's come any closer to actually making a decision.

"Daddy," Hyunjin says when he spots Chan coming closer, "There's too many choices! We're going to be here _forever!_ " He's immediately put back the costume he was holding, Chan notices. He can't blame him. It takes an incredible amount of patience to keep making suggestions when they're all shot down, and he's still so young.

"We're not going to be here forever," Changbin mutters. "The supermarket closes at six. We have to leave before then, or they'll get very angry. And these shelves aren't big enough to hide underneath." 

Chan's smile is slightly strained as he nods along to what Changbin's saying. "We won't be kicked out, Binnie, I'll help you make a decision. Hyunjin, how about you join the others?"

Hyunjin practically jumps up in excitement, before realising that Changbin might take offence to that. He smiles, rather awkwardly, and then sprints over to the rest of the kids by the trolley, almost landing on top of Minho in his hurry to join their conversation.

Changbin watches him go.

"Hey," Chan's voice is soft, but it still gets his attention. When he puts his hand on his shoulder, Changbin sinks into it, wrapping his arms around Chan's middle and burying his face in his chest. It's strange to see him this affectionate. Although Chan suspects that Changbin secretly loves the attention they give him - not babying him as per se, but just treating him like he's a little younger than he actually is - it's rare to see him this bold. Something must really be on his mind.

"We're not getting kicked out," Chan repeats. He has no idea if Changbin and his mother had tried to hide in a supermarket overnight before, but it certainly sounds like it. It hurts, but all he can do right now is give reassurance. "There's no one coming to make us leave. We'll have plenty of time to pick you a costume, baby, and if not? We can just come back tomorrow. You don't have to worry about it."

Changbin nods, but his teeth continue to nibble his bottom lip. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. We can come back every day until Halloween if you'd like."

That gets him to crack a smile. "That's silly," he says, "It won't take me _that_ long to choose. Just... a little longer now, if that's okay."

"You can have as long as you like," Chan confirms. When Changbin turns back to face the row of clothes, gingerly pulling out a sleeve and pulling a face every now and again, Chan can't help but feel his heart break a little. The poor kid is obviously overwhelmed, and Chan can't blame him

He hadn't gone out for Halloween last year. Changbin had only arrived at their house in the summer, a few weeks before his sixth birthday, and he'd been a nervous wreck. It simply hadn't seemed sensible to send such a fragile child into such a different environment - and that was _without_ considering the fact that his mother had barely let him out of the house. He hadn't even known that Halloween existed until last year.

"Do you want any help?" Chan says, when Changbin still hasn't made a decision. Two minutes have passed. If that's been painful for even Chan to watch, it must feel like an eternity to a child. He can only hope that the rest of the kids aren't getting too bored. 

Slowly, Changbin turns to him. He hasn't stopped biting his lip, and now it's gone a bright red, close to breaking the skin. There's no way that it's not incredibly painful, but Changbin doesn't seem bothered by it at all. He simply shifts his weight from foot to foot, fidgeting on the spot.

Chan reaches out slowly - so Changbin knows what he's about to do - and cups his face in his hands. Gently, he pulls his bottom lip out from under his teeth. "Binnie," he says, "What's wrong, baby? What's the matter?"

Changbin's face crumples up, but he still doesn't speak. His cheeks have gone pink - perhaps from frustration at himself, perhaps from the simple fact that he's overwhelmed. He looks back at Chan and doesn't say a word.

"You've got to use your words, baby. I can't do anything to help if you won't tell me what's wrong."

There's a pause. Changbin glances behind Chan to where the rest of the kids are chatting. They're not paying attention, thank goodness, so the illusion of privacy is slightly stronger. "I can't choose."

"You can't make a decision?" Chan asks, "Is that what you're so stressed about? There _are_ an awful lot of costumes. Is there anything I could do to help?"

Maybe Changbin doesn't appreciate the amount of questions, since he only looks _more_ stressed after Chan has finished speaking. He goes to bite his lip again, but stops himself half-way. 

The ideal solution would have none of the other kids here. They wouldn't be in a supermarket, and Chan would have the chance to talk to Changbin properly, and alone. There wouldn't be any pressure for time, there wouldn't eb any distractions, and they'd work it out together. 

Unfortunately, that just isn't realistic.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" Changbin whispers. His voice is so quiet that it's only because they're so close together that Chan is able to hear it. He sounds tired and weak, but most of all he sounds young. Whatever is causing him this much distress, it must be something pretty serious. "You said we can come back at any point. Can we come back tomorrow?"

"Baby, of course we can." Chan says. It's not perfect, but it's certainly a start. If he works out what's playing on Changbin's mind once they get home, then hopefully choosing a costume tomorrow should be a much easier experience. "Just you and me, and we'll make sure to get you a costume. Is that what you'd like?"

Changbin nods.

"Okay, we'll do that then." Chan holds out his hand, trying to ignore the worry that's been building up inside of him throughout this conversation. It'll be nothing, he's sure of it, but he can't help his emotions. Every time one of the children feels angry or annoyed, something in Chan's heart doesn't stop hurting until he's found a way to lessen the problem. "Want to join the others?"

"Okay." Changbin takes his hand gingerly. They turn around together, and the trolley is only a few short metres away. 

The rest of the kids seem oblivious to Changbin's swollen bottom lip, too busy fighting amongst themselves to pay any attention to one more child in their midst. Hyunjin and Seungmin are reciting lines from Disney movies together, while Jisung occasionally joins in to do an over-exaggerated accent. Minho and Felix are still happily talking about their plans for costumes, while Jeongin has somehow managed to get himself into the cart.

"I'm in here now," he says once he spots Chan. "My legs are tired. Push me."

Chan can't be bothered to argue. He smiles sweetly down at the five-year-old - "I guess you must be too tired to go to the park after we've finished shopping, then." - and then tries to hide his laughter at the look of horror on Jeongin's face. It makes the walk to the tills seem so much shorter, and he's still laughing to himself when he straps the kids back into their car-seats. 


	3. part three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big Thanks to momo, who literally came up with half of the kids' costumes. check out her [minbin parents au (feat. baby innie)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24147328/chapters/58144309) for what is possibly the sweetest content ever

"Bang Chan?"

The lady standing at his front door doesn't sound very confident in his name. Really Chan can't judge her for it. He's sure he recognises the woman - that haircut seems distinctive, and the memory of where he's seen it before gnaws at the back of his mind - but he can't seem to place her name either.

For a short moment, they stand awkwardly facing each other. Chan hasn't let go of the door yet, still not sure what the purpose of her visit is. The lady stands equally as silent, staring back at Chan with suspiciously narrowed eyes. Her arms are folded, and her head is tilted in just a way that it seems like she's judging him.

But for what? This is _his_ house, for crying out loud. If she's here to try and sell him something, she's not doing a very good job. Instead, it's much more likely (and especially if he considers the grimace on her face) that she's from school. 

They aren't known to be the biggest fans of his.

Something about being a single dad. He's heard the whispered gossip while waiting to pick the children up, and some bold mothers have even confronted him in the past. They're all concerned about the kids, apparently. It's not enough that they have him - they need a mother's influence in their lives. 

They at least have the decency to stop gossiping when his kids arrive.

There are many things that they don't need to hear just yet. They have a better understanding of the world than most children their age, and they know how cruel people can be for no reason. He's explained to them why people disapprove of him being a single dad, he's explained that they shouldn't feel any less for being adopted or fostered. 

He hasn't particularly had a choice with many of those explanations. In an ideal world, his children would be treated with just as much respect as anybody else's. But cruel words are sometimes overheard, and children aren't known for having split opinions from their opinions at the ripe old age of six years old. 

Chan's dealt with more than one occasion of having to calm down a sobbing child because of what's been carelessly said to them. He's had to explain stereotypes and judgements more times than he'd ever wanted. He can't protect them from the reality of the world.

However, it's all that he _can_ do to stop them from realising how close that reality actually is. 

"That's me." It must be what she's waiting for him to confirm, as if there's any doubt of his identity. The whole playground knows him. Even if it weren't from being a single foster dad, taking care of seven children tends to do that to a reputation. He's not convinced that the whispers would be any kinder if they were all biologically his, though. 

The woman nods. For the first time, Chan notices movement behind her legs. 

There's a young girl standing there - maybe around Jisung, Felix and Seungmin's age - although he doesn't recognise her. She probably attends their school, but he's long since lost track of any of the kids' classmates. 

If it were one of Hyunjin's friends, it might have been a different story. The six-year-old loved the talk about the inner workings of his class, even if he was still branded 'strange' by most of the children. But Changbin often kept himself to himself when speaking about school, and the only time he seemed enthusiastic was when explaining the various projects they'd been tasked to do.

Chan had been worried that he was being bullied at first. He'd made sure to have a conversation with Changbin's teachers, all set out with a heavy heart and the crescent marks of fingernails in his fists. But apparently he was just shy, content with being on the side-lines of the class than taking part in any of the rougher activities. Chan couldn't blame him, after everything that he'd been through. They'd placed him in a smaller class, but it wouldn't be surprising if even that could seem overwhelming at times. 

The girl stares up at him, and Chan stares back. "Hello. What's your name?"

"Lia," starts the girl, but she doesn't get any further than that. Before she can say any more, her mother steps back in front of her, almost protectively. She purses her lips, looking Chan up and down almost in disbelief. 

"Don't talk to strangers, honey," she says to the child, before snapping her attention back to Chan. "And stop with that ridiculous 'Lia' nonsense. This is Jisu. She's in the same class as one of your children."

"Oh?" Chan smiles down at Jisu - _Lia_ \- who smiles shyly back at him, seemingly oblivious to her mother's cruel intonations. One of her front teeth is missing, leaving a gap that flashes every time she opens her mouth to speak. "Which one? I can call them down if you'd like. Let me guess- Felix? Or Seungmin?"

"I'm in Changbin's class." Jisu says proudly, taking a step out from behind her mother only to quickly be pushed back again.

"My Jisu skipped a grade," her mother explains, glaring at Chan as if he's the one that caused her precious daughter to talk by herself. As if being friendly was a crime. "She's only six, but she's so smart. Isn't that right, honey?"

Jisu doesn't look like she agrees, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, he stands silently and lets her mother ruffle her hair, patting it back down when the attention finally leaves. Her eyes stray to the house behind Chan, who finds himself letting go of the door. 

"Would you like me to call Changbin?" He says, to Jisu - _not_ her mother. When Jisu nods as shyly as she'd smiled earlier, all Chan has to do is step back inside for a moment. 

As he'd expected, there wasn't any need to call out. Upon hearing the door open, the kids hadn't been able to resist their curiosity. Chan pulls the door to the living room open. Sure enough, all seven of the kids are either peering through the curtains out of the window or pressing their ears up to the door. He can't imagine that they can see or hear much, but he's got to admire their determination. 

"Daddy," Hyunjin says, dusting himself off as if he hadn't just fallen over from putting his whole bodyweight against the door, "Who is that?"

"They're visitors," Chan says. For a moment he can't spot Changbin, but sure enough he can eventually make out the socks that he'd put on this morning, so wrapped up in the curtain that nothing else can be seen of him. There's another pair of socks wrapped up in the opposite curtain - Jisung - and Chan can't help but wonder what on Earth they'd been doing. He doesn't have the time to ask, sadly. "Changbin? They're here to see you. Do you want to come and say hi?"

Slowly, Changbin unwraps himself. He'd made himself dizzy with all that spinning and takes a few uncertain steps forward. Chan doesn't rush an answer. When Changbin eventually looks up with a determined nod, he only has to hold out his hand. They walk together all the way out of the room - making sure to shut the door on the six pains of staring eyes behind them - and back up to the front door.

"Lia?" Changbin says, when he can finally make out who exactly is behind the woman's legs. He's in a similar position behind Chan's, but no one is making him stay there. If that's where he feels the most comfortable - if he wants to be hidden - then that's completely fine. 

"Changbin!" Jisu-Lia says, sticking a chubby hand out and waving it. "I didn't know where you lived!"

Maybe it's not clear enough how Changbin should reply, as his grip on Chan's hand gets a little tighter. Maybe he wants to say that he hasn't always lived here - or maybe he's thinking that this is the first place he's lived in for more than three months in his entire life. The question wasn't meant to be loaded, but it's bent heavy by interpretation. 

Luckily, Jisu's mother doesn't seem to want to stay for any chit-chat. She raises her eyes disdainfully from Changbin and smoothes out her skirt, pursing her lips again. "As much as I'd love for my darling to stay and chat, I'm afraid that we're rather busy together." She glances down, patting Jisu on the back of the head, "Honey? Why don't you ask?"

"We're having a Halloween party," Jisu says, waiting for her mother to confirm her statement with a nod before she continues, "On the whole road, but with no cars and stuff. Do you want to come?"

Changbin's eyes widen. He stares up at Chan, waiting for him to make a decision. He's gripping his hand so tightly that Chan's almost certain he's cutting off his blood flow.

Jisu's mother seems to notice his hesitation, as she interrupts her daughter with her own explanation. "Trick or Treating is so dangerous," she says, "As I'm sure you understand, there's just so many ways that my - _our_ \- children could get injured. The PTA and I have decided that it's a far better idea to host a Halloween-themed street party instead. My darling Jisu insisted that your son..." 

She looks at Changbin, obviously having forgotten his name, and them smiles smarmily at Chan, "Sorry, it's just so _difficult_ to remember the names of children that join the class late. I don't know what they just don't keep kids from the same schools in those schools, you know?" The comment is so barbed with passive-aggressiveness that Chan has to try not to flinch on Changbin's behalf. 

"It's okay," he ends up saying through his teeth. It isn't okay - it's anything _but_ okay, but he's not about to sabotage Changbin's friendship with this girl.

The mother smiles back at him, just as icily. Perhaps she'd hoped that he'd rise to the bait. He doubts it; it seems much more likely that she truly believed the words that she'd just said. "I know you have other children as well. As long as they're well-behaved, the street party is open to anyone. All five of them can come along if you'd like, although I don't know _how_ you'll manage to keep an eye on them all."

Scratch that, maybe she is testing him.

"I have seven kids, actually," he corrects politely, "And I'm sure I'll manage just fine." 

"Of course! I was only thinking - well, it's bound to be loud, and I know that one of your children is slightly... sensitive-"

"We'll be fine." This time there's enough decisive finality in his tone, and the lady very sensibly stops talking. She shuffles backwards, and Chan reaches out to hold the front door again. She doesn't want to be here any longer; he doesn't want her here any longer. The sooner they're away from each other, the better.

"Well," Jisu's mother says, holding her daughter by the hand and dragging her down the steps, "It was _lovely_ to see you. I really _do_ hope that you make it to the party."

She hasn't told them when it'll be. Or where specifically, or for how long, or any details at all, aside from the obvious. Somehow, Chan's getting the impression that she doesn't really hope that he makes it at all.

He doesn't bother to ask for any more details, though. A street party can't be that difficult to find, and the time that they arrive and leave is more dictated by the well-being of his kids. He doubts that they'll be there for the entire duration. But it'll still be nice to experience some of the fun. 

"We'll be there," Chan says, just as cheerily. He keeps the door open just long enough to watch the woman's lip curl, and then shuts it. Immediately, the tension begins to leave his shoulders. He forces himself to ignore the spiteful words. There's no point dwelling on someone that couldn't care less about you. Nothing Chan could ever say or do would be able to make him seem like a good person to Jisu's mom, so he might as well forget about it now. 

Changbin detaches himself from Chan's hand. With more energy than Chan's ever seen him with before, he slides across the tiled floor and swings open the living room door. There's the distinctive squeak as Hyunjin falls over _again_ , and then the kids are spilling into the hallway, bursting with questions.

"Who was that?" Minho says, jumping nimbly over Hyunjin's sprawled limbs, "What was she saying? What's happening?"

The rest of the kids are quick to follow him, although Jisung narrowly avoids landing on his fingers- with Hyunjin noticing and yanking them away right at the very last second. Seungmin runs right up to the door, jumping up and pressing his face to the window in order to try and get a better look. Jeongin isn't far behind him.

"Guess what?" Chan says, and their attention is immediately back to him, "We've just been invited to a Halloween party!"

\---

The rest of the week seems to fly by. Before Chan can even stop to think about it, the night of the party - Halloween - has arrived. 

To his kids, it couldn't get any more exciting.

For maybe the first time in their lives, it seems like they're actually going to be early. Chan is pulled into the hallway a full fifteen minutes before he was even going to _think_ about starting to organise them. Hyunjin uses his whole weight to pull Chan across the tiles, Jeongin right behind them, pushing him along. Minho hangs off the bannisters - stopping once Chan gives him a warning look. Felix and Jisung are shrieking excitedly at each other. Changbin sits against the front door, watching the room explode with delight. 

They're mostly half-dressed, Chan realises. 

Minho is wearing his cat costume successfully, although the ears kept slipping off of his head. Nothing a few hair pins couldn't fix. His hands are mostly hidden by the stairs, but it looks like he's pulling something down. Chan rounds the corner to get a better view, but he reckons he already knows what it is.

Sure enough, Minho has taken all three of his favourite cat plushies (Soonie, Doongie and Dori) and piled them into the pull-along wagon, just as he'd said he would. There's a blanket crammed in, making it look slightly more like a cat bed, but the wheels of the wagon really do _not_ agree with how they're being pulled down the stairs.

Chan doesn't even have the chance to look over the rest of the kids before making a beeline over to Minho.

"Let me help?" He asks, even as he's already moving to stop Doongie from falling out of the wagon. While Minho pulls, he lifts the wheels up. Together, they manage to make it the entire way down the stairs without any incidents. 

Minho beams at him when they're done. Usually he likes to act a little more 'tsundere', but it's times like this when his true nature really shines. He's just as excited as the rest of the kids. With shining eyes, he bounds across the room over to Felix and Jisung, practically humming with pent-up energy.

Now that Chan's actually in the hallway, he seems to be free real estate for solving the minor issues the kids have had with their costumes. 

Hyunjin, still pouting at the fact that Minho had stolen Chan's attention from him, is first in line.

"Daddy!" He says, grabbing Chan's hips and turning them so that he has no other option but to listen, "My dress!" 

He spins around. The dress is maybe a few centimetres too short - hanging above Hyunjin's ankles higher than it's supposed to - but that's probably for the best. The large zipper at the back of the costume is the only thing that's not perfectly in place. Hyunjin reaches over, showing how his hands can't quite pull it down, and then blinks up at Chan with pleading eyes. 

"You don't need to pull me to get my attention," Chan gently reminds him, already crouching down. His hands work quickly, pulling the costume tight around Hyunjin's shoulders. "Just be patient, okay baby?"

Hyunjin nods, spinning around to pull at the hem of his dress. Chan smiles. Hyunjin should know that he's not being told off - simply just being gently reminded. He reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind his air, and then suddenly realises something. "Where's your crown?"

"Huh?" Hyunjin's hands go to his hair. He pats the top of his head for a few seconds, before becoming to an inevitable conclusion. "I forgot it!"

With that, he's off. Skirt hitched up around his waist, thundering up the stairs two at a time, Hyunjin disappears into his room before Chan even has the chance to tell him to slow down. Their rooms are bound to be a mess after this. If they've gotten themselves this dressed without any supervision - Chan finds it hard to believe that he'll be able to see the floor if he goes upstairs to check.

That'll be a job for later. Right now, he can't find it within himself to care about how much mess they've made. All that matters is the grins on the kids' faces, and the mirroring grin in Chan's heart.

Once Hyunjin has disappeared, it leaves Chan free to help sort out other costume issues.

Surprisingly, Seungmin is the next to approach him.

He can do up the costume by himself, Chan knows that. Seungmin had understood buttons and zips way before any of the other kids, and he'd never particularly needed help dressing himself. Sure, some of his outfits were a little strange sometimes, but Chan wasn't about to force him to change. It was more _cute_ than anything else. And if that's what made Seungmin happy, then who was Chan to comment.

"The legs-" Seungmin says. He kicks up his ankle to show Chan properly. Sure enough, the costume is too small. Much like Hyunjin's, the legs of the dinosaur costume reach several inches above his ankles. They look rather too tight as well, and there's no way that they can be comfortable.

"Oh no!" Chan crouches down, pulling at the material softly. They'll have to get a new version of this costume for next year. With how quickly the kids seem to be growing, it seems all too likely that Seungmin will have gained another inch by the end of tonight. "Minnie, you're just getting so _big_."

"I don't want to be big," Seungmin says, putting his leg back down and frowning at Chan, "I just want my costume to fit."

Chan hums. He'd put out a tray full of useful costume-editing items earlier, fully expecting to have to make several last-minute amendments. It takes him a few moments to spot, but - _there_. He takes a pair of scissors into his hands, and then turns back to face Seungmin. "I can't fix it perfectly, baby, but I can make it more comfortable for tonight. We'll have to make you a new version next year."

Seungmin's face crumples. "I don't want a new version. I want _this_ costume."

"It'll be exactly the same," Chan says, even though he already knows that that doesn't matter to Seungmin. It has to be exactly the same - down to the same fabric, same colour, same softness - or it just won't do. Instead, he'll have to try a different tactic. "Or, you can have one of a different dinosaur! I thought your favourite one had changed, maybe you could have a costume of that one?"

"I want to keep _this_ costume!"

"You don't have to get rid of it, baby. We can keep it upstairs, with all your other precious things. Getting a new one would just mean that you'd have _two_ costumes to wear instead of one."

Alright, it's not strictly true. He'll be allowed to keep it, of course, but there's no way that he'll ever fit into it again. Hopefully that won't be an issue by that point. 

It seems to work, though. Seungmin's cheeks have gone pink, but he nods determinedly. "Two costumes," he agrees, and Chan smiles at him. 

"Exactly." He holds out his hands, a few centimetres away from Seungmin's ankles. He only moves to touch them when Seungmin nods his approval, and even then, he makes sure to be gentle. "Now, are you okay if I fix this costume by cutting up the legs? It won't be very far, but it'll mean that the fabric isn't so tight around your ankles."

Seungmin frowns, contemplating. "How far?"

Chan stretches out his thumb and his finger, lining them up with the side of Seungmin's legs. It's not that far - maybe only a few inches - but it's still so incredibly important to ask permission. Thankfully enough, Seungmin agrees. Chan leads him over to the stairs, and sits him down safely.

"It'll only be a moment." 

As he speaks, he slides the scissors up against Seungmin's leg, trying not to concentrate on how he flinches as the cold metal brushes against his skin. Chan cuts slowly and carefully. As the fabric splits, it reveals just how tight the elastic really was. It's not an ideal solution, but it would have been dangerous to restrict Seungmin's blood flow for that long. 

He cuts seamlessly, and it's soon over. Seungmin leaps up as soon as Chan has removed the scissors. He jumps off the stair that he'd been sitting on, landing on the tiled floor with surprising grace. "Thank you, Daddy!" 

Chan watches as he sprints off again. Hyunjin must have come back down whilst he'd been talking to Seungmin, as he's happily showing off his sparky tiara to Jeongin.

Somehow, Jeongin's managed to get himself into the bear morph suit perfectly. He must have had some help - there's no way he could have managed to do the zipper on the back up by himself - but everything else is perfect. He's pulled his coat over the suit, and is currently holding his shoes in his hands.

"Ah!" Chan says, calling out," Shoes and coats, everyone!" Seeing Jeongin has reminded him that getting the kids to dress up warm will be a whole challenge in itself. The sooner he can start persuading them that they'll freeze outside without anything warm to wear, the better. "If anyone is still struggling with their costume, come to me and I'll help!"

As Minho takes the coats down from the hangers, Chan can finally do a full look-around of the hallway.

Mino, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin are all fine, he's already checked them over. Jisung and Felix seem to be okay as well. They're wearing matching costumes, also having kept their word from the supermarket all those days ago. Minho must have let them borrow some cat hairbands, and the rest of their costumes are a patchwork of other fancy-dress outfits. 

They're moving too quickly for Chan to make out what they're wearing exactly, but he catches a glimpse of bat wings and fairy wings at the same time. Jisung looks like he's wearing a pirate hat, with a cheerleading skirt pulled haphazardly over his trousers. Felix has the matching cutlass clutched in one of his hands, and a single cheerleading pom pom in the other. 

Either way, they haven't come to him for help. Chan trusts them enough that he'll leave them to their own devices, for now. He's going to take some costume-fixing devices to the party anyway, just in case of a disaster. 

That just leaves Changbin.

They'd returned to the supermarket the next day, just as Chan had promised. Now that there were significantly less distractions - and Chan helping to narrow down the choices until there were a more reasonable amount - Changbin had finally been able to pick out a knight costume.

He's wearing it now, having managed to dress himself. It's silver plastic, but that doesn't stop it from looking impressive. The grey fabric has been pulled over his arms and legs, with the bright blue tunic over his front. There's a plastic sword held at his hip, and the visor of his knight's helmet has been pushed up, allowing Changbin to see properly as he attempts to pull his shoes on. 

He'd told Chan that he wanted to be a knight because he wanted to protect them.

There's no time to think about how Chan had almost burst into tears in the middle of the supermarket, though, as he's soon being pulled over to the stairs to help squabbling children lace up their boots properly. Turns out that they did need him after all, although no one seems to want to protest wearing their coat. 

He does up Jeongin's boots, helps Jisung and Felix take their wings off and puts them back on over their coats. He readjusts Hyunjin's tiara, using the hair slides he'd thought about earlier. Minho pulls his wagon most of the way out of the door, but Chan is there to help when one of the wheels gets stuck. Changbin passes him the keys when he needs to lock up, and Seungmin runs around the house switching all of the lights off.

Just like that, they're ready to head to the party.


	4. part four

In the days following the invitation from Jisu's mother, Chan actually had managed to find out the location of the party. There were a few parents that he vaguely knew from the playground that weren't so opposed to his every move - and they'd gladly given him a more complete run-down of the entire event. 

It hadn't been without warning, unfortunately. Each of the parents he'd spoken too had warned him against going. It seemed like Jisu's mother's barbed words weren't just aimed at him, and that several other parents on the organising PTA weren't fond of Chan and his children either. Although it was nice to think that the parents he'd contacted were looking out for him (especially since he wasn't any closer than mere acquaintances with any of them) he could do nothing but ignore their warnings. 

This wasn't about him.

It wasn't about Jisu's mother either, despite her valiant attempts to make it seem that way.

This was about his kids. This was about the fact that they'd actually been invited to a party.

It would be the first invite they'd ever had as a group of eight. For some of them, this would even be the first party that they might have ever attended. Changbin, for example - when he'd lived with his mother, he's been 'home-schooled' in the loosest sense of the word. Even when he'd been placed in Chan's care, he's been too shy to interact with the children in his class, and often ended up isolated and alone. There had been no birthday party invites coming his way.

Chan couldn't be too sure about Felix, but he knew that the kids did suffer to a certain extent from being fostered. Some parents were narrow-minded and cruel. They didn't see a single child that they were forcing their child to leave out, they simply saw something that 'wasn't quite right' and 'didn't fit into their perfect image of suburbia'. 

It was only the odd person every now and again, of course, but that never made it any easier. 

Chan isn't about to take this opportunity away from his kids. He doesn't care if he's assaulted with scowls and cold glares the entire time; if the children enjoy themselves, that's all he could ask for. 

That's what he focuses on as he leads the kids up to the road that had been closed off.

It's clearly the site of the party - there are pumpkins lining the sides of the pavement, spooky music playing softly and even a temporary 'stage' (that's really just planks of wood arranged around an electronic speaker and microphone set) has been set up. Parent and children alike are wandering around, with food and drink stalls, as well as an area that's been left clear for the children to dance in. 

It honestly looks amazing. 

The kids by his side seem to think so as well. Minho gasps out loud, dropping Jeongin's hand in order to clutch the handle of his wagon a little tighter. Felix runs out a few steps in front of Chan, closely followed by Hyunjin and Seungmin, and even Changbin is looking around in awe. Chan checks Jisung to make sure he's not feeling left out, but the smells wafting through the road are more than enough to make up for it. There's pumpkin and cinnamon, the warm aroma of coffee, even the sickly-sweet smell of toffee apples. 

And no one seems to bat an eyelid that they're there.

Chan spots Jisu's mother out of the corner of his eye. She's not dressed up, surprisingly, but she seems to be living vicariously through her daughter. Jisu is being paraded around in a beautiful white angel costume. The dress is long and sparkling, two huge feathery wings attached to her back, and a tiara of silver nestled in her hair. Even from this distance, it's easy to see how much effort must have gone into her outfit. It's also easy to see, however, the somewhat sad look on her face.

But they haven't noticed him, or his kids. He's not sure what he'd been expecting - someone to call them out, maybe, or some more snide comments - but they're just part of the crowd. No one cares that he's got seven kids following his every move. No one cares that he's the only one there for them. 

"Daddy?" Seungmin says, drawing his attention back to earth. "It's loud." He's rubbing his hands anxiously over his ears, squirming and jumping from one foot to the other. Chan's bending down to rummage in his bag before Seungmin has even completed his request. "Can-"

Chan pulls out the noise-cancelling headphones, and Seungmin's face lights up. He takes them from his hands eagerly, slipping them over his ears and nodding in satisfaction. It's such a cute gesture that Chan can't help the smile that stretches over his face. 

Maybe there wasn't anything to be worried about. 

"Off you go, then," he tells Seungmin. The rest of the kids hadn't left either. They'd been hanging around nervously - not wanting to leave Chan when they hadn't been allowed to, but barely able to resist the call of the party at the same time. His permission to Seungmin is a sign that they're all allowed to go and have fun, and soon Chan is left standing alone in the pavement.

"Hey,"

Or - not so alone.

"You're Jeongin's dad, right?"

Chan turns around to see a group of parents approaching him. It's really just one of them - a short lady with a confident expression who's actually speaking - but the rest are watching with a mixture of mild amusement and embarrassment. 

"That's me," he confirms. And then, when the lady shoots a triumphant look to one of the men - her husband, perhaps - he can't help but ask, "Sorry, who are you?"

Her glance behind her must have been some sort of signal, as the rest of the group now slowly make their way closer. They seem comfortable with each other, chatting quietly, and the confident lady laughs out loud when she finally takes in Chan's question. "Oh! God, you probably think I'm insane."

"He wouldn't be far off," mutters the man from earlier, and the lady gives him a sharp but humorous glare.

"My daughter is in your son's class," she continues, "Shin Ryujin? He might have mentioned her, but if not, don't stress about it." She then gestures behind her, "This is my husband."

Her husband - Ryujin's dad, since Chan hasn't been given any names - reaches out to shake his hand. "Ignore her," he says, "That's what the rest of us do."

The couple break out bickering, and another lady takes it upon herself to move them gently away from Chan. "They're like that all the time," she tells him, "You get used to it. My daughter is also in your son's class - Chaeryeong?"

That is a name he recognises, and Chan tells her so. 

"That's great!" She exclaims, and then gestures behind her for another couple to be introduced. "This is - well, I think their daughter Yeji is in the same class as another one of your sons."

"Hyunjin?" Chan asks, shaking their hands as well. He's too caught up in introductions to be overwhelmed just yet. Everyone here seems so confident, like they've known him for years. It's like he's been absorbed into their little gang already.

"Seungmin, actually," Yeji's mother says. She smiles back at him, and moves to block Ryujin's parents with her shoulder when they start to draw closer again. "And the Australian boy..."

"Felix," her husband reminds her.

Chan replies, and is almost immediately caught up in a discussion about Australia. They all want to know what it's like apparently, and although Chan wasn't expecting to have to answer that many questions, he finds himself enjoying it. He falls into a natural conversation, so much so that it doesn't feel like he's only known them for a couple of minutes. They don't act like it either, and Chan's cheeks soon begin to hurt from how much he's been smiling.

At some point, a parent starts teaching a dance to the kids in the road. Ryujin's parents have their own mini dance-off by the pavement, and the rest of the parents take it upon themselves to point out their kids amongst the crowds.

Chan points out his own in return, and is pleasantly surprised when he's not faced with any awkward questions. Yeji's father tells him that his oldest sister used to be a foster parent, and they all laugh when Chan tells them that he just can't seem to let any of his go. 

Time seems to pass incredibly quickly. With his kids only needing to come and get his attention a couple of times - Minho giving his wagon to Chan to look after, the hairclips holding Hyunjin's tiara down coming loose - the end of the party comes much sooner than Chan would have expected. 

And they know that it's time for the end of the party because Jisu's mother starts to give a speech.

Her microphone screeches, and Chan has never been gladder that Seungmin had put his headphones on earlier. If _he_ can barely stand the high-pitched scream of badly wired electronics, then what must Seungmin experience? In fact, a flinch ripples through the crowd of both children and parents alike, with several people unable to hide their grimaces in time.

"Hello?" Jisu's mother is standing at the front of the 'stage', peering into the crowd of people and clutching the microphone to her chest. Although she's not wearing a costume, her outfit seems even more extravagant now that everyone's eyes are on her. Chan doesn't doubt that's the whole point. "Hello?"

Whoever had messed up the sound system the first time manages to get it working again. Soon enough, the sound of her _‘Hello?'_ is booming through the speakers. Anyone who hadn't realised that she was there before (a small number of people, since that screech from the microphone earlier had gained their attention more successfully than any normal speech-opener could ever hope to do) now turns towards the stage.

"Here we go," says Ryujin's mother, rolling her eyes.

Her husband elbows her lightly in the ribs. "Don't be rude," he says, and then in a much quieter voice, "Besides, I _told_ you that we should be taking bets at this point."

It gets a titter of hushed laughs from the rest of the parents, but Chan is suddenly feeling very left out. "What?" He asks, when the giggling finally dies down in order to watch what Jisu's mother is saying properly, "Taking bets on what?"

"Oh," Ryujin's mom smiles at him. It's not cruel - or at least, it's not cruelly directed at him. There's a certain exasperation in her expression. "You'll see."

With that, she turns back towards the 'stage'. Chan has no more answers than when he'd first asked the question, but he can already guess along the lines of what could be about to happen. 

"Children, gather around the front!" Jisu's mother calls out, smiling at the rest of the parents who are suddenly being shoved to one side by their own kids, "It's time for - you guessed it - the prize ceremony!"

Chan frowns. He hadn't known that there were going to be prizes handed out. The parents he'd spoken to - in order to simply get information about where the party was going to be - hadn't mentioned it to him. No one had mentioned it.

Not that it mattered, really. If anything, some of his kids would be _less_ likely to dress up if they knew there was a chance they could be called up for a prize. Although... if Jisu's mother is the one that's decided who's going to win, then it doesn't matter how good any of his kid's costumes are. They're never getting those prizes in a million years.

"No shoving!" Jisu's mother says, frowning at the mass of children in front of her, as if she hadn't been the one to call them up, "Now, I know this is the most exciting part of the night, but let's all stay civil with each other. Despite how _amazing_ all of your costumes are, not everyone can win. We've thought long and hard about this. It took a while, but we've eventually come to a completely unbiased decision."

There's a pause. If she's waiting for a response, she doesn't get one.

"Okay! Without further ado, third place..."

At least this time, the kids get what she's trying to get them to do. A drumroll starts from within the crowd of children, eventually reaching the lacklustre efforts of the parents. No one looks particularly excited, and everything's beginning to become a little clearer. 

"Thi-" Even with the microphone, the drumroll has become loud enough that Jisu's mother's voice has been completely drowned out. There are a few awkward seconds where she coughs to get their attention - completely without realising that the kids are having much more fun making noise than listening to her speech - but it works eventually. She holds up the envelope, pulling out the card from within and reading off the name. "Third place goes to Na Jaemin!"

The crowd claps politely as a boy around Hyunjin's age shuffles onto stage. He's dressed as a zombie, but something doesn't seem quite right.

His costume is good, yes, but it's not outstanding. If he were closer, Chan is sure he'd probably recognise it as coming from a supermarket Halloween aisle. The boy's make-up is well done, but it's not original. There are at least five other children who are wearing the exact same costume. 

Yeji's mother leans over, taking pity on Chan's confusion. "His mother is in the PTA."

Ah. Well, that explains a lot. 

"Second place-" Jisu's mother continues, opening the envelope immediately and not waiting for a drumroll this time, "- oh, this is definitely deserved! Second place goes to an amazing little witch! Im Yeojin, please head on up!"

The girl who walks onto the stage cannot be older than four. She's drowning in a witch costume that's at least two sizes too big - although, at least this time Chan can tell that it's homemade. He's too far away to make out any of the specific detail, but it's a pretty dress and Yeojin seems to have all the required 'witch' accessories. 

She smiles as she receives the prize. Her eyes travel across the crowd of parents, and when she eventually spots who she's looking for, her face drops. She curtsies to the crowd, and then shuffles over to where Na Jaemin is standing awkwardly. 

"Daughter of the PTA treasurer," Yeji's mother whispers.

By this point, Chan's not sure he even needs to watch the 'ceremony' for any longer. He sees why Ryujin's father wanted them to take bets - the whole PTA seems to be corrupt. He doubts that anyone not close to Jisu's mother has ever won a prize, and then wonders whether they take it in turns for their children to come in third and second place.

There are no questions about who's going to be first.

Jisu's mother grins into the crowd. "And now," she calls, "For the most exciting prize of the night! I know you're all tired, so I won't keep this going for too long. First place goes to-"

She opens the envelope slowly this time, dragging out every baited breath from the children crowded in front of her. None of them have realised that they haven't got the slightest chance of winning. It's incredibly cruel.

Her face melts into one of meticulously sculpted shock. "Oh! Wow! My very own darling, Choi Jisu, you've won first place!"

The round of applause that Jisu recives is somewhat subdued, since disappointed children aren't known for being entirely selfless. It doesn't put her off, however. She walks onto the stage when her mother gestures for her, her costume glowing a brilliant white in the rapidly-fading light of day. The wings on her back still seem too large for her, the very tips dragging across the floor, the only part of her outfit that isn't perfectly clean.

She doesn't quite look up into the crowd, even as her mother passes her a neatly wrapped present. Her cheeks are pink as she shuffles back to join Na Jaemin and Im Yeojin, and even when the crowd of children eventually disperses in disappointment, Chan's not sure that she ever smiles.

"I told you!" Ryujin's dad raises his eyebrows, folding his arms, "Rigged! The entire thing!"

His wife doesn't seem to be as outraged. She scoffs, turning her back to the crowd and facing the small group of parents again. "Honey, we _know_. It's like this every single year."

"It's a shame," Chaeryeong's mother says, glancing back towards the stage every so often, as if she's worried that Jisu's mother will somehow overhear them, "Lia is such a sweet child, it doesn't seem like she even wants to win anymore. Maybe... maybe they did really vote for her. After all, she does seem to shine in that costume."

"You've gone soft," Ryujin's mother pats her on the back, "They did vote for her, but not because of the costume."

So it _is_ Lia, Chan thinks. He hadn't been sure when they'd first stopped at his doorstep, but hearing other parents refer to her as 'Lia' certainly makes coming to conclusions easier. He guesses they refer to the child as 'Jisu' in front of the... other parents, but in private it's another story. 

Before the conversation can move forwards any further, a cannonball launches itself at Chan's feet, almost knocking him completely off balance. The cat ears and tail reveal that the child currently latching himself around Chan's legs is Minho, and he doesn't seem like he's going to let go any time soon.

Ryujin's mother laughs. "Right," she says, "I guess that's a sign that we should all get going, right?"

Chan smiles, although he's now preoccupied with trying to get Minho to loosen his grip just a little. He waves politely as the group of adults start to move away, breaking off to go in different directions and locate their own children. It's both a blessing and a curse that most of Chan's own don't need that kind of encouragement. 

"You were talking!" Minho says, his voice a little muffled. Chan pushes his away while he's talking, at least just as far that he can move his legs again. "You were talking to other people! Are they your friends, Daddy? I thought you didn't have any."

He's not trying to be mean, Chan reminds himself, gritting his teeth. It's sadly true, anyway. Chan's lost touch with a lot of people now that most of his time is taken up with children. 

"Maybe," he says, successfully managing to detach Minho. "I don't know. This is the first time that I've really spoken to them. They might have just been being polite."

Minho scoffs. "They liked you."

Somehow, such simple words make Chan's heart do flip-flops in his stomach. There's no time to think about his friendships and such like now, but he knows how perceptive the kids can be. If Minho says that they weren't just talking to him to be polite, then there's a good chance that it's true. And Chan's not sure how he feels about that.

"Come on," he says, deciding not to think about it too much, "Let's find the others. It's almost time to go home."

Already, the number of people around seems to be rapidly declining. Most parents are standing on the pavements on either side of the road, or making their way back to their own houses. There are still people milling around, chatting and drinking, but it's a lot less chaotic than it was only five minutes ago. It makes the job of spotting his kids a lot easier.

Seungmin is the one next nearest. He'd been with Changbin the last time Chan had seen him, but seems to have replaced the older boy with Jisung. They're actually making their way towards Chan and Minho, although they seem to keep getting distracted by... well, who knows what. Chan can't actually tell what they're talking about from this distance, and he's not sure if it would become any clearer if he was actually listening to their conversation.

Either way, it's going to take several years from them to actually get to Chan at this rate.

"Come on." He takes Minho's hand, finally untangling him from his legs. They make their way towards Jisung and Seungmin, cutting what would have been a twenty-minute trip down to thirty seconds. 

"Daddy!" Seungmin says, finally looking up from the twig that him and Jisung seem to be discussing, "Is it time to go already?"

"I don't want to go home." Jisung pouts, head angled towards the floor. 

Chan knows how true that is. Even if they feel like they're ready to stay here for hours longer at the moment, that's bound to change in an instant. He knows first-hand how easily kids can become overtired. It's better to get them to leave now, instead of risking having multiple breakdowns on his hands later. 

"But it's home time, Sungie. Don't you want to get back inside?"

"I want to stay out here!"

"Oh?" Chan says, "Don't you want to put your comfy pyjamas on? Since it's Halloween, I was even going to let you have hot chocolate before bed, maybe even watch a movie together. It would be such a shame if we all did that, and you were left out here by yourself."

Jisung's pout grows. It hasn't taken much to win him over, but he's too proud to admit it. So instead he simply stays sullen and first-hand quiet, refusing to lift his head from facing the concrete. 

Luckily, Chan knows exactly what to say. "If only I knew where everyone else had gone."

Seungmin jumps up immediately. "Hyunjin is over there!" He points to their left, and Chan follows his finger down until he finally spots Hyunjin. He's standing over a tub of water, watching a girl bob for apples with a crowd of other children. It doesn't look like he'll want to leave that easily either, but Hyunjin is full of surprises.

"Can you and Sungie go and get him?" Chan asks. Seungmin doesn't give Jisung the chance to reply, pulling him towards Hyunjin before he even has the time to open his mouth. It's just what Jisung needs as a distraction. He'll have forgotten all about his pride by the time they return.

"Jeongin and Felix - look!" Minho pulls on Chan's arm, pushing him to his right. Sure enough, Felix and Innie are also making their way through the crowds of people. Felix is missing his cat ears - which are now sat proudly on Jeongin's head, and they're both carrying fistfuls of candy in their hands.

"Look!" Jeongin runs the last few metres to Chan, desperate to show him what they've got. He leans over Minho's wagon, depositing his sweets between the cat plushies. "Daddy, you're not looking! Look what I got!"

"We're very nice children," Felix says, by way of explanation, "A very nice lady said so. Then she gave us all of this _candy!_ "

"Wow!" It certainly is a lot. Chan's not sure how he'll persuade them to share, but it doesn't look like the piles are particularly distinct anyway. Maybe they weren't expecting to keep all the sweets to themselves - maybe they _wanted_ to share. The thought is certainly a nice one. "Did you remember to say thank you?"

"Of course," Jeongin puffs out his chest, "And then she said I was a lovely young man! I'm so grown up, Daddy!"

"You sure are." Chan ruffles his hair. As he does so, Seungmin appears by his side, dragging Jisung and Hyunjin behind him. The two boys don't seem to mind that they're being pulled along by Hurricane Seungmin, instead seeming quite content to chat to each other.

"I got them!" Seungmin says, finally letting their hands go. "What next? Who next?" He looks slightly like an over-eager puppy, grinning up at Chan and happily awaiting his next instructions. 

Who _is_ next? Chan does a head-count. He's missing one person. It takes him a moment to place the name - the music playing doesn't help with trying to order his thoughts - as Changbin. 

When he does a quick once-over of the crowds, however, he can't see Changbin anywhere.

"Does anyone know where Binnie is? Or has anyone seen him?"

They mumble back at him in a general consensus of 'no'. It's only Minho who nods, and when Chan gestures for him to speak, says "I saw him a little while ago. It was by the shed, but he might have gone by now."

Chan nods. It's better than nothing, which is what the rest of the kids have given him to go on. "Stay here," he instructs, "and stay together. If you see Binnie, just wave him over and don't move. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

He waits for them to nod, so he knows that they were paying attention, and then starts walking towards the 'shed'.

It's an actual shed, although that's not what it's being used for tonight. Someone must have moved it from their garden, opening up the front to use as a sheltered stall. They'd been selling raffle tickets and drinks when he'd passed by earlier. The walls of the structure could very well mean that Changbin was just around the other side.

It doesn't take long for him to reach the shed, and it takes even less time for him to stop in his tracks.

That's definitely Changbin's voice, but it sounds like he's... talking to someone? Assessing the situation, Chan pauses, listening out.

"I can't," Changbin says. The words are mildly concerning, but it doesn't sound like he's in any distress at all. Instead, he sounds confident. "It's yours."

"I don't want it."

The second voice takes Chan a moment to place. It's young, female, and he's definitely heard it before. It's only when the girl speaks again - "I don't want it. It's my mom's prize, and she always make sure that I win, just because she wants to win." - that it's startlingly obvious. Changbin must be talking to Lia.

"I can't take something that belongs to you. It's _your_ prize." He sounds less confident this time, like he's slowly being worn down. 

"It's a present," Lia replies. There's the crinkling of wrapping paper, something being passed from one person to another. Despite protesting, it seems like Changbin has eventually given in. "I saw her buy it. You'll like it, I promise."

"I can't-"

Lia suddenly steps out from behind the shed. Her eyebrows raise when she sees Chan, but she doesn't comment on it, instead making her way back towards the stage and her mother. Her costume is just as blinding white as before, but it seems... different in this light. Chan's heart aches for her in a way that he can't explain. 

Her departure was probably a sign that he should make his own way behind the shed. "Binnie?" He calls, stepping forwards and peering behind the wooden structure.

Sure enough, Changbin is standing there. He's holding the first-place prize from the Halloween costume contest in his hands, the shiny wrapping paper ripped open. Inside is a pack of pens and paper. There are quite a few colours, Chan can see that from here, and the brand is not one that's particularly cheap. Changbin holds onto the set as if he's never going to let go.

It makes sense. Chan doubts that Changbin's mother had ever bought him any nice colouring sets, and even if she had, they'd likely have been left behind in her attempts to hide her son from the 'government'. Changbin loved drawing - that was clear to see even from the receipts he'd collected and doodled on when his mother was having a bad day - and that love had only blossomed in Chan's care. 

He wonders how Jisu knew that Changbin loved drawing. 

Thinking of the answer makes his heart warm a little. Changbin seems to be making friends. Finally, after all this time, people are treating him with the love and care that he deserves. Chan doesn't care that Jisu's mother may hate him, if her daughter wants to be friends with Changbin, then Chan's going to do everything in his power to see that through.

Changbin deserves a friend. 

After all he's been through, no one could say anything less.

He takes another step forward, and the movement catches Changbin's attention. "They're mine,” he says, when he sees Chan. "They're mine?"

He sounds like he's in shock. In Chan's household, most colouring supplies are shared immediately. A few of the kids have their own - especially if they've been given as presents - but none are this nice. It's probably why Changbin sounds so unsure. 

"They're yours," Chan confirms. "They can live in your room, if you'd like. I can make sure that no one else touches them, so they can stay nice. Would you like that?"

Changbin pauses for a moment, thinking. "Yes," he says eventually, "I think I would."

When Chan reaches out his hand, he doesn't even hesitate before taking it. There's none of that suspicion he'd harboured when he'd first been placed in the foster home, none of that heart-wrenching insecurity that had seemed to reach down to his very bones. When he smiles, it reaches his eyes.

Slowly, he's healing.

"Come on then," Chan says, turning his face to the shadows so that the tears welling up in his eyes are hidden, "Let's go home, baby."

**Author's Note:**

> aksjkjksks HALLOWEEN FIC
> 
> i was going to wait to post this all at once, but i got too excited
> 
> go follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sunnyesque)  
> if you'd like, but treat me like a snail that you have to poke the shell of to get me to interact


End file.
